Jin Young Ko, center, and caddie David Brooker, left, and manager Soo Jin Choi jump into Poppy's Pond after Ko won the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, April 7, 2019. Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun

In April, LPGA veteran IK Kim was in the desert finishing in a tie for fourth at the ANA Inspiration, a major golf tournament in front of large crowds and a large media following.

Monday, Kim, a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour, was back in the desert golfing. This time, there was little fanfare, but what she was doing was quite rare. Kim was competing in first-stage qualifying for the men's U.S. Open at the Classic Club in Palm Desert, put on by the USGA and the SCGA.

She shot an 81 on the 7,192-yard course, nine strokes off the qualifying pace, but she said the goal wasn't as much to qualify as to try something different and get some competition in as the women's tour is off for the next couple weeks.

"I just wanted to do something that I've never done before, it was worth a chance," said Kim after the round. "I thought it was a perfect chance to practice and prepare for the rest of the season."

Kim, whose home base is Dallas, Texas said she was doing some traveling and chose to play at Classic Club in the Southern California Desert because all the other locations were fully booked.

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In-Kyung Kim, better known as IK Kim on the LPGA Tour, attempted to get out of first-stage qualifying for the men's U.S. Open at Classic Club in Palm Desert on Monday. She shot an 81 and did not advance to the next round of qualifying.(Photo: The Desert Sun)

The conditions were difficult as only four of the 80 or so competitors broke par on the par-72 course. The heat, the length and the harder-than-normal nature of the bunkers -- the course is upgrading the bunkers later this summer so they weren't as manicured as they usually are -- made for tough play. Add to that some of the smaller things that a pro like Kim hasn't had to deal with in a while, like not having a pro caddie, and it was tough out there, she said.

"I'm not too experienced in this environment and I played not-that-great, but it was a good experience, and I am proud of just the way I managed it," she said.

Did she at least have fun?

"It was a little too hot for fun," she joked, of the 94-degree early afternoon temperature with almost no wind that had several golfers drained at the end of the round.

According to tournament officials, it was the first time anyone can remember a woman trying to qualify for a U.S. Open in California in the last 15 years, though they periodically have women try to qualify for other men's amateur events. U.S. Open qualifying is open to any pro, or anyone with a good enough handicap. She fit in both categories.

One of her playing partners, Nick Fillon of Huntington Beach, said he did a double take when he saw his pairing.

"As soon as I saw her in my tee time, I thought 'That's pretty cool,'" Fillon said. "It was great watching her play. Just no misses out there. Everything straight, everything accurate."

In-Kyung Kim smiles at her caddie after teeing off on the 8th tee during round two of the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage on Friday, April 5, 2019.(Photo: Taya Gray, Special to The Desert Sun)

The 24-year-old who golfed at Northern Illinois University said he's had an occasion to play with some guys from the PGA Tour, but he said this was very much the same as he tried to learn as much as he could from playing with Kim, even though they both shot identical scores of 81.

"It's fun to pick their brain a little bit, see what they do differently and why it works so well for them," he said. "With her it was course strategy. If she was going to lay up, it was always far away from danger. Always the smart play. And that's the difference with amateurs, I think we get emotional or try to bomb it. With her, it was like a chess master as she moves around the course and has her plan."

Kim has had some memorable moments golfing in the desert. She had the best round of the entire tournament at this year's ANA Inspiration, an LPGA major in Rancho Mirage, with a second-round 65 on her way to a tie for fourth.

More famously, she was in position to win the tournament in 2012, then known as the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She had a one-foot putt on the last hole to win the tournament, only to see it inexplicably lip out. She then lost in a playoff to finish second. She didn't let that derail her career, though, as she has won 10 times, seven on the LPGA Tour, and she did grab a major title, winning the 2017 British Open.

For the record, the best score Monday was a 69 by Troy Kuramarohit of Canoga Park, California. He was among the five players who advanced to second-stage qualifying for the men's U.S. Open from this site. His round included two eagles, including a hole-out from 205 yards on the seventh hole.

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In-Kyung Kim exchanges a laugh with her caddie after teeing off on the first hole of the Dinah Shore Course at the ANA Inspiration, Rancho Mirage, Calif., April 6, 2019.(Photo: Zoë Meyers/The Desert Sun)

Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.